The TheologyOnline.com TOPIC OF THE DAY for April 23rd, 2010 09:52 AM
toldailytopic: Did God choose an eternity ago who would, and who wouldn't, be saved? |
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Too broad of a "TIME" as you said : "An ETERNITY Ago".
The WORLD...This very earth never existed for eternity, for it had a BEGINNING and it has an END.
So "NO" would be the answer to your question....BUT....
UNLESS you are fearful of the TRUTH, why not word the question CORRECTLY?
DID GOD CHOOSE WHO WOULD OR WOULD NOT BE SAVED?
The answer to this would be; YES.
How else can you work out all of the verses in the Bible in HARMONY to the church doctrine that "Man Chooses Christ?"
God chose those He would save BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD.
We see this HERE:
EPHESIANS 1:4-6
4.) According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
5.) Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
6.) To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
Even looking at the GREEK closely, we see this translation very accurate, so in that, How would YOU reconcile these verses to ANY OTHER CONCLUSION?
We also see the EXAMPLE GIVEN by SIMILITUDE and in PARABLE HERE:
GENESIS 1:3-4
3.) And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
4.) And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
The light REPRESENTS Christ,...Salvation,....the ELECT to salvation.
The Darkness represents the UNSAVED,...wicked,...the unsaved to die.
THIS IS PROVEN HERE:
JOHN 1:4-5
4.) In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
5.) And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
NOW COMPARE GENESIS 1:4 to JOHN 1:5.
We see that GOD created LIGHT, and THEN divided the Light from darkness, which means that THE LIGHT HAD TO BE SHINING IN DARKNESS before God separated the TWO.
Beside that, God hadn't created the SUN and the MOON at this point according to His WORD, for when He separated the Light from darkness, that was the FIRST DAY...God did not create the Greater LIGHT to rule the DAY or the LESSER LIGHT to RULE THE NIGHT until the FORTH DAY.
So in this we must understand that the LIGHT of GENESIS 1:3-4 must have to be THE LIGHT as the LIFE OF MEN...salvation, as referred to in JOHN 1:4-5.
Then we see a host of other scripture speaking perfectly to the PRINCIPLE and DOCTRINE that God CHOSE who would be saved, and referred to them as "the chosen", "the ELECT", "His Children", "His Sheep", and so on.
How could you reconcile any of the verses just mentioned and those following to any other conclusion?
2THESSALONIANS 2:13
13.) But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:
1PETER 2:4 and 9
4.) To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,
9.) But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;
JOHN 15:19
19.) If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
JOHN 6:37 an 44
37.) All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
44.) No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
ROMANS 8:33
33.) Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.
1PETER 1:2
2.) Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.
There are a great many more verses that one needs to RECONCILE to a different conclusion to prove it true, other than the conclusion that God ELECTED those to salvation before the foundation of the world.
Search the scriptures to see if a thing is so, and don't believe me, but believe only GOD through His WORD.
peace